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Abstract

The indiscriminate use of ceftriaxone in animals could be the source of increase in ceftriaxone-resistant bacterial infections in human. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of veterinarians towards the use of ceftriaxone in dogs in Enugu State Nigeria. A cross sectional survey was conducted using validated structured questionnaire. Eighty (98%) out of 82 veterinarians who participated in this study returned their completed questionnaire. Recurrence of bacterial infection after treatment significantly [?2 (2)=24.36 (P<0.01)] increased with lower brand price of ceftriaxone used by veterinarians. The occurrence of side effect also showed a strong correlation (r=0.9597; P<0.01) with increased dose of ceftriaxone administered. Out of the 26 and 57 respondents who admitted to have had the knowledge that ceftriaxone is an extra- label drug used in dogs and one of the drugs of last resort, 11.5 and 19.3% applied culture and sensitivity tests before its use, respectively. This study has shown that there is a public health threat as lavish use of ceftriaxone in dogs may be responsible for the increase in ceftriaxone- resistant bacterial infections seen as recurrence of infection after treatment.